SA20 expansion will happen only after the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which South Africa will co-host along with Zimbabwe and Namibia, Smith says

Vishal Dikshit14-Nov-2025Former South Africa captain and current SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith believes there will be a “shift in how things work” in the cricket calendar after 2027, when the current men’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) comes to an end and a fresh cycle of ICC media rights will also be up for grabs. Smith also said most of the focus on South African cricket’s planning is the build-up to the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which they will co-host along with Zimbabwe and Namibia, and only after that tournament will they look to expand SA20, which currently has six teams and is three seasons old.Since its inception, SA20 has been played in January-February and has had calendar clashes with the Big Bash League (BBL) and the ILT20 in the UAE, which started in the same year as SA20 (2023). Even though the PSL has moved to the April-May window now, these three T20 leagues also face a calendar crunch with international cricket, often bilateral series, which creates an availability headache for the boards and international teams.”I’m not saying the other leagues will go away, but there’ll certainly be a tier-one of sort of franchise leagues in different windows, so maybe four to five, probably a club World Cup coming,” Smith said at an SA20 event in Mumbai on Wednesday. “I think bilateral cricket is hard. I think when top nations play each other, it gets a lot of interest. Even with the ICC, they have an event a year, but I think the interesting thing to watch is going to be post-2027 FTP cycle when the new cycle kicks in and all the new rights deals get done.Related

Graeme Smith: 'Crucial for South Africa to start well' in India

Graeme Smith: 'Would love to have more Indian players' in SA20

“That’s going to be interesting to watch. I think bilateral cricket, if anything, outside of the top teams playing each other, is lacking a little bit of context at the moment with four games here, two games there. There’s no consistency to these things, but obviously it does come with national pride as well, so I think you’re going to probably see a shift in how things work post 2027.”The ODI World Cup that year will be played in October-November, which gives Cricket South Africa exactly two more years to ramp up preparations to host the global event. Smith said the SA20 expansion plans will begin only after the World Cup.”I think for us it’s also where South African cricket is,” he said. “With the 2027 World Cup now, there’s been big investment into stadium infrastructure, lights, the quality of pitches. So we’ve seen that really being developed over the last six months into the year. I think in all the stadiums now you’ll see new lights in the run-up to the 2027 World Cup. Post-season five [of SA20] is where we will look to grow. That has always been the case.Graeme Smith at an SA20 promotional event•SA20″I think for us there’s a number of elements when you look to grow. Where do you grow? Do you grow in South Africa? Do you grow in Africa? And then also you want to build up your player base. I think one thing that SA20 has got right is that the six teams have been equally competitive. Probably the amount of South African local players has been at a good standard. And if you introduce a new team then you’ve got to look at another 20 to 26 South African players. And you need to make sure that that quality is there to be able to keep all six, seven, eight teams of a high standard.”The fourth season of SA20 will be the first time the tournament will not start in January, but on December 26, as there is no Boxing Day Test scheduled by Cricket South Africa in the FTP. SA20 will be preceded by five T20Is for South Africa in India and will be followed by another three T20Is against West Indies just before the T20 World Cup kicks off on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, making it a “big period” for South Africa in the coming months.”I think it’s an important few months for the South African team, obviously, with the big tour to India, if they can find a way to be successful here across the three formats. It really does set up SA20 beautifully as a kind of highly competitive tournament, playing in front of big crowds and getting players ready for the T20 World Cup which is going to be amazing to watch in India. So I think it’s a big period for the next three months for South African cricket to really build on the successes that they’ve had throughout the year. We’ve seen the World Test Championship final. We’ve seen our ladies do well. And the next three to four months can really be an amazing time for South African cricket.”

Ahead of MLS Cup, Fray joins GOAL Convo to talk growing up near Chase Stadium, playing with Messi and Co., and what this moment means for him and Inter Miami.

Ian Fray laughs when asked what it’s like to get a pep talk from Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano. It’s intense, he admits. It comes in both English and Spanish. More importantly, it works. Fray believes Mascherano’s “passionate” approach has sparked Miami’s surge this season.

“Mascherano brings this fresh, young energy,” Fray tells GOAL. “I don’t fully understand the Spanish parts, but you get it when he’s yelling and his face turns red. You get fired up, even if you don’t totally understand. You get fired up!”

It isn’t only Mascherano – or the shot at a championship – that drives him. Fray grew up just 15 minutes from Chase Stadium in Coconut Creek. Representing his community, and doing it the right way, has always mattered to him. It’s part of what has pushed him through setbacks along the way.

“Going from the academy to the second team, doing the whole process here, and now to see it all come to fruition – look, we’re in MLS Cup,” he says. “This is exactly what I dreamed of when I joined the academy.”

Ahead of Saturday’s final, Fray joined GOAL Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in North American soccer, to talk Mascherano, Messi, overcoming adversity, and why he believes Jamaica will make the 2026 World Cup.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ON REACHING THE MLS CUP FINAL

  GOAL: MLS Cup is this Saturday. What are your emotions as you head into this match against Vancouver?

  FRAY: This is exactly what we all dream of for all season. Eleven months and yeah, super excited.

  GOAL: You’ve been here since 2021 and seen almost everything with this club. What does this journey mean to you, especially as someone from the area?

  FRAY: I grew up 15 minutes down the street from the stadium, you know, I lived, lived and grew up in Coconut Creek. Went to high school. I went to elementary through high school, all the way here. I've lived here my whole life. And just to see the stadium, even this stadium being built, you know, going from the academy, the second team did the whole process here and now to see it all come to fruition. Look, we're in MLS Cup. This is exactly what I've dreamed of since joining the academy.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ON PLAYING WITH LIONEL MESSI AND SUPERSTARS

  GOAL: You play with some well-known legends, you know, ranging from Lionel Messi to Jordi Alba on defense. What is that whole experience like? For someone who doesn't get to see the locker room, what are the things you can share about that experience?

  FRAY: I don't know if it's something [about the game] that they don't know. It just shows in their game and they hold you to the highest standard possible. And a lot of people will crumble under that and say it's too intense or whatnot, but they, they do all this, and they're hard on you because they want you to be right there with them. They want you to compete just like them. And that's the best thing you could want. You want someone who has been at the highest level, like kind of forcing you to be on their level as well. And it just brings the best out of the players. 

  GOAL: Can you share an example of how they keep the team accountable?

  FRAY: Yeah, I can. Even for the last game against New York City, as I came in, I lost two balls I shouldn't have lost. And all them kind of just look at you, and they're like, 'Come on, let's go. This isn't a joke.' When they show that intensity, and then you can either crumble or you can go above that.

  GOAL: There are so many different cultures in your locker room. How do you guys, kind of, you know, come together and make it, you know, communicate and just build that, that chemistry that you need as a team?

  FRAY: Yeah, I feel like it's more just like [finding ways to get] laughter, even though a lot of us can't understand each other, it's more just like laughter. They say a couple of words that you know, and you can say a couple of words that they kind of know, and [it all clicks]. It's all at practice too. You know, it brings everyone together. Training on the field. Everyone's in the heat, training, all this, everything we've been through, just brought the team closer.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ON MASCHERANO

  GOAL: You've played for a lot of high-profile managers here, Phil Neville and Tata Martino, and now you have Javier Mascherano. What makes him unique and special?

  FRAY: All of them [who you mentioned] are great managers, by the way. I think Mac brings this, like fresh, like young, he's a he's a defender too. So you can tell, and I'm a defender, I love to defend. And he's just, he has a lot of love for the game. And it just, it shows in practice he's really passionate. And that brings out, if your manager is passionate, and you can see it every day in practice, it brings out the best of the players.

  GOAL: Now, when he was a player, he was seen as, like, a combative type of, you know, lack of better word, a little crazy, right?

  FRAY: [Laughs] We need that! It fires everybody up.

  GOAL: What's a pep talk from him like?

  FRAY: I don’t fully understand the Spanish parts, but you get it when he’s yelling, and his face turns red. You get fired up, even if you don’t totally understand. You get fired up!

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  ON OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

  GOAL: You’ve fought through injuries before, suffering three torn ACLs. How do you stay mentally strong and keep moving forward when setbacks happen?

  FRAY: So yeah, I've been through a couple of those, and I always knew what I wanted to do ever since I was younger. And I've been through things maybe not like that before. And it's just I always know if I get past this, then nothing's gonna be able to stop me. And then it happened again, I'm okay, but if I get past this one, then nothing's gonna be able to stop me. So I think that's just more of what just more of what it is. I'm not gonna let anything stop me from my dreams.

  GOAL: Is there a ritual, tradition, or a mentality you have to help you navigate through that all?

  FRAY: I always, usually look back to something that I overcame before, like, for all the injuries. And when I had the first one, it was like, 'OK, maybe I got cut from Weston when I was 15, and I ended up at inter Miami.' Yeah, that's what I looked at….I overcame that. I can overcome this ACL injury. And then the other ones, I just looked back at the first one, okay, I went through the first one. Why can't I do it again?

Chelsea's summer signing Liam Delap looks set for more time on the sidelines after being forced out of Saturday's game against Bournemouth at the Amex Stadium with a shoulder injury. The forward landed heavily and looked to be in real pain in the first half of the game following a duel at a corner. Manager Enzo Maresca sent on Marc Guiu in his place and now faces an anxious wait to discover the severity of his injury.

Delap suffers suspected dislocated shoulder

Delap was back in the starting XI for Chelsea on the south coast on Saturday but lasted less than half an hour due to injury. The Chelsea striker appeared to dislocate his shoulder after a heavy fall and was replaced immediately. Delap had caught the eye in the opening exchanges against Bournemouth for his physical approach and was perhaps fortunate not to have been booked for catching Marcos Senesi with a stray arm twice before he had to be taken off.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportInjuries interrupting Delap's start to life at Chelsea

Delap will be frustrated if he is forced back onto the sidelines. The summer signing has already missed a significant chunk of the campaign for the Blues after sustaining a hamstring injury back in August that kept him out of action until November. The 22-year-old has therefore only managed six starts for Chelsea in all competitions so far in the 2025-26 season, with his only goal coming as a substitute in the Champions League win over Barcelona.

Maresca's praise for Delap

The injury to Delap will also be frustrating for manager Enzo Maresca who was full of praise for Delap ahead of the match. "It was a long time for him to be out," he told reporters. "I think he is getting better and the other day against Leeds, he had two or three chances where he could have done better. I know Liam from many years ago at Manchester City and I don’t have any doubts that he will score goals and be important for us.’

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

(C)Getty ImagesWhat comes next for Chelsea?

Delap and Chelsea must wait to discover the severity of the striker's injury and how much time he will miss. The issue comes ahead of a busy festive period for the Blues. Maresca's side take on Atalanta next in the Champions League and then host Everton at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is just over a week away with the full rosters for the Midsummer Classic revealed over the holiday weekend.

This means the various hype videos all 30 teams released to advocate for fans to vote for their players will now rest in the social media archives forevermore. However, there are still votes left to be cast—and the Philadelphia Phillies dropped one more hype video to rally their fans.

Over the weekend, MLB announced the finalists for the 2025 All-Star Ball Crew. Two ball boys or girls will be selected to participate in the All-Star festivities at Truist Park next week, with fans casting the deciding votes between the four candidates. One of the candidates is Philly bat boy Adam Crognale, a favorite of the Phillies community.

In his honor, the team released an awesome hype video for Crognale to advocate for his spot in the All-Star Game. It rules.

Crognale was nominated for the first play of the above montage, but as you can see, he has a few more highlights too. In addition, he does great work in the community; Crognale is a lymphoma survivor and was nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Visionary of the Year award in 2024.

The next few days will reveal if the Phillies inspired the fans of Philadelphia enough to get Crognale his flowers.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was not too pleased after failing to get the ball out of the infield during his first at-bat against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays star popped out to second base in the first inning, and he took out his frustrations on his bat while walking back to the dugout.

Without so much as altering his facial expression, Guerrero casually leaned forward and snapped his bat like a twig over his left leg before depositing the two pieces of splintered lumber into a garbage bin in the dugout.

Have a look:

It's not uncommon to see an exasperated player let loose their frustrations in the dugout. It's the casualness in which Guerrero handled his business that makes the clip so stunning. Snapping a baseball bat over your leg is not an easy thing to do, but Guerrero did it effortlessly after his disappointing first trip to the plate.

More than half the squad have played some competitive cricket over since the end of last season

Andrew McGlashan28-May-20252:00

Decoding Mitchell Starc’s wobble seam delivery

The Australia squad for the World Test Championship final convenes in the UK this week for a team-building camp before training ramps ahead of facing South Africa at Lord’s on June 11. Coach Andrew McDonald termed the recent period a “muddled mess” with a mixture of players at home, featuring in the IPL either side of its suspension and playing county cricket but was confident in how the side would be able to prepare once they are all together. Here’s a round-up of what those selected have been up to over the last couple of months.

Usman Khawaja

After the controversial end to the season amid the fallout with Queensland cricket boss Joe Dawes over Sheffield Shield availability it’s been a period at home for Khawaja as he enters what might be the final stretch of his international career. The end of the Ashes next season, which concludes at the SCG, could be the stepping off point. In the WTC final his experience will be vital given the uncertainty over who will partner him at the top of the order.

Sam Konstas

Konstas had been keen for a county deal to further his cricket education but an opening didn’t transpire so he, too, has prepared at home with sessions at Cricket Central in Sydney and at the Brisbane-based camps where McDonald revealed he had been working on some technical tweaks. It will be fascinating to watch how the next couple of months play out for Konstas after the high-octane start to his career against India. The reported that he had self-funded an extra session in Brisbane after being invited up by Nathan Lyon.Related

• Bat down, hunger up: Smith ready for Lord's after American reset

• Boland: 'I just want to make their decision as hard as possible'

• Labuschagne faces vital outing in search for form

• WTC winners to get USD 3.6 million in prize money

• Green has 'all bases covered' amid Australia's WTC final selection debates

Marnus Labuschagne

The key figure in Australia’s selection debate. Has time run out for Labuschagne after two lean years in Test cricket? His two-match stint with Glamorgan was unconvincing with scores of 0, 4 and 23. But in his favour is the experience he has of playing in England, although should he retain his place in the XI it looks increasingly likely he would be handed a new role as opener.

Steven Smith

Smith has spent time in New York, a favourite destination of his and somewhere he owns property, where he has regularly posted on social media of various runs around the city and gym sessions ahead of joining his team-mates in the UK. With over 10,000 Test runs the management are content to allow Smith to tailor his own preparation and he will no doubt switch on to some intense net sessions when the squad begins training. As ever with Smith there is intrigue around how much longer his career will go but his recent run-scoring suggests the hunger remains.Travis Head has had another season at the IPL•Associated Press

Travis Head

Head has been among the contingent at the IPL and while he couldn’t match the highs of last season he still produced the occasional dazzling display as he made 374 runs with a strike-rate of 162.60. He signed off with 76 off 40 balls in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) massive 278 for 3, having overcome a bout of Covid, and now the transition begins to Test mode. Head played the decisive innings two years ago with a thrilling 163 off 174 balls against India at The Oval.

Cameron Green

Things could hardly have gone much better for Green on his return from the back surgery that kept him out for the whole of the last home season. Three centuries in nine innings for Gloucestershire, including tons in his last two outings, has left him primed for a return to the Test side even though he won’t be a bowling option until the Ashes later in the year. Last time he played Tests, against New Zealand in early 2024, he batted at No. 4 where he made a superb unbeaten 174 in Wellington. Where he fits in this time is intriguing.

Beau Webster

Webster, who impressed on his Test debut against India, has had a four-game spell with Warwickshire where he has chipped in without setting things alight. He made 85 in his first innings but did not pass fifty again while claiming 10 wickets at 27.80. Whether he retains his place at Lord’s appears likely to come down to conditions and how important the selectors view overs from a fifth bowler.Cameron Green will be one of Australia’s most in-form players heading into the final•Getty Images

Alex Carey

Carey finished last season in some of the best form of his life having made a century in Sri Lanka, runs at the Champions Trophy and two hundreds to end the Shield season, the second of them central to South Australia’s historic title victory. Since then he has been at home and has used the camps in Brisbane this month to tune up for the final.

Josh Inglis

Inglis has been with Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the IPL where he had to bide his time on the bench but has since played eight matches – making 197 runs at a strike-rate of 164.16 – either side of the tournament’s suspension with his latest innings being a superb 73 off 42 balls. He was a slightly late returnee but will be available for the playoffs meaning he will join the squad in the UK when PBKS’ campaign comes to an end. Despite a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka he will likely be carrying drinks at Lord’s.

Pat Cummins

Cummins completed the entire season for SRH as they failed to make the playoffs. He finished as their joint-leading wicket-taker with 16 at 28.12 having not played since the final Test against India due to paternity leave and an ankle problem he had nursed through the summer. Behind the scenes he has been working on increasing his loads with an eye on a return to red-ball cricket at Lord’s and the next couple of weeks will be vital in ensuring he can peak against South Africa.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, along with Josh Hazlewood, have been involved in the IPL•Associated Press

Mitchell Starc

Starc did not return to the IPL with Delhi Capitals meaning his tournament ended with 14 wickets at 26.14. His economy rate was high at 10.16 but he produced a couple of starring performances including a career-best 5 for 35. Having remained in Australia, Starc joined the home-based players in Brisbane last week which meant his focused WTC preparation started a little ahead of schedule.

Nathan Lyon

Another of those based at home, Lyon has been bowling at the training camps having recovered from a hip injury he carried for most of the home summer after initially picking it up early in the India series. It was a nastier injury than was initially indicated and a build-up of fluid needed draining to ensure he could get through the Sri Lanka tour, but feedback from the last few weeks is that he is in excellent shape heading to England.

Josh Hazlewood

After spending a period back in Australia rehabbing a shoulder niggle, Hazlewood has returned for the IPL playoffs with Royal Challengers Bengaluru aiming to cap what had been an outstanding season before the interruption. Hazlewood, who had an injury-hit home season, has so far taken 18 wickets at 17.27 with an economy of 8.44 and often found success with his Test-match length. Barring any further injury setbacks he will likely keep Scott Boland out of the XI at Lord’s.Scott Boland appears likely to miss out at Lord’s, but Australia know he will deliver if needed•Getty Images

Scott Boland

Speaking of Boland, he’s the ultimate super sub for Australia should anything happen to the big three. He managed a knee niggle through the closing stages of the season and opted against finding a small window for a county stint. Two years ago he was impressive against India in the final but may have to watch from the sidelines this time.

Matt Kuhnemann

It was a rollercoaster latter part to the season for Kuhnemann who starred in Sri Lanka and then had his action reported. He was cleared by ICC testing and after a period of the off-season at home has squeezed in a one-game outing for Glamorgan which proved very productive with a career-best 6 for 53. He won’t feature at Lord’s barring injury to Lyon but could play a role in the Caribbean.

Brendan Doggett

Doggett is the traveling reserve for the WTC final so will only be called into the 15 should injury strike. He has had a three-game stint with Durham which brought nine wickets at 33.44. An impressive home season has seen him leapfrog Sean Abbott in the pecking order.

The trade deadline's biggest prize reportedly will go to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners are acquiring third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a Wednesday night report from ESPN's Jeff Passan. Suarez, 34, previously played for Seattle from 2022 to '23.

The two-time All-Star joins the Mariners in the midst of a surpassing offensive season; he's slashing .248/.321/.577 with 36 home runs and 87 RBIs. The last of those figures leads Major League Baseball.

If the deal is confirmed, Suarez will re-form a formidable duo with Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh—a superstar with 41 home runs, 87 RBIs and a Home Run Derby title to his name this season.

Suarez is in his 12th MLB season, and has hit 312 career home runs. He has hit 30 home runs on six different occasions, and hit 49 for the Cincinnati Reds in 2019.

The Mariners have a long way to go to wrap up a playoff berth, but opposing pitchers will seemingly have their work cut out for them.

انتهت منافسات الجولة الثانية من المجموعة الثانية في بطولة كأس العرب 2025 المقامة في دولة قطر منذ قليل.

وحقق منتخب الجزائر، اليوم السبت، الفوز على نظيره البحرين، بنتيجة 5-1، في المباراة التي أقيمت على ملعب خليفة الدولي ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات ببطولة كأس العرب 2025.

طالع| ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العرب بعد فوز الأردن على الكويت

وحقق العراق الفوز على السودان بهدفين مقابل لا شيء، في ختام منافسات المجموعة ليضمن التأهل إلى دور الثمانية.

وبتلك النتائج، يتصدر العراق المجموعة برصيد 6 نقاط، متفوقًا على الجزائر صاحب المركز الثاني برصيد أربع نقاط، بينما السودان في المركز الثالث برصيد نقطة واحدة يليه البحرين بدون نقاط. ترتيب مجموعة الجزائر في كأس العرب بعد الفوز على البحرين

1- العراق 6 نقاط من مباراتين.

2- الجزائر 4 نقاط من مباراتين.

3- السودان نقطة من مباراتين.

4- البحرين دون نقاط من مباراتين.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with myriad injuries in 2025, with their pitching staff losing multiple members to the injured list throughout the season.

With the likes of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Glasnow and other starters currently shelved with various injuries, the Dodgers are set to receive a much-needed boost just ahead of the All-Star break.

Dave Roberts told reporters Monday that Glasnow is expected to return this week and is currently slated to start Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Glasnow hasn't pitched since April 27 after landing on the 15-day IL with a shoulder injury. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL. The 31-year-old has made five starts for the team this season and has pitched a total of 18 innings. He owns a 4.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Having missed more than two months, getting a start in before the All-Star break will be beneficial for Glasnow, who will get a chance to rest up during the break before being stretched out in the second half of the season. It's not clear what workload is expected for Glasnow in Wednesday's start, but the Dodgers will likely exercise caution with the veteran pitcher in his first outing back from the IL.

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois da oficialização da partida entre Nova Iguaçu e Vasco, no Maracanã, o consórcio publicou uma nota criticando o Cruz-Maltino. Para os administradores do estádio, o clube de São Januário buscou a vitimização.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansTorcida do Corinthians vai à loucura com Pedro Raul e Yuri Alberto: ‘Dia dos bonitos’Corinthians14/03/2024CorinthiansDupla funciona, Corinthians vence o São Bernardo e avança na Copa do BrasilCorinthians14/03/2024PalmeirasEndrick, do Palmeiras, se torna o jovem mais promissor do mundo, diz estudoPalmeiras14/03/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Vasco

– Vale repudiar o comportamento do Vasco SAF que, tirando proveito da mencionada indefinição momentânea, buscou uma vez mais o caminho da vitimização em um caso em que sequer é o mandante da partida – diz um trecho da nota.

A liberação do Maracanã ocorreu depois de uma longa discusão. O final feliz se deu após representantes do Vasco, Nova Iguaçu e da Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Ferj) comparecerem ao estádio e se reunirem com o consórcio.

continua após a publicidade

A bola rola para Nova Iguaçu e Vasco no domingo às 16h. A Laranja da Baixada tem a vantagem do empate. Com isso, o Cruz-Maltino precisa vencer para se avançar à final.

CONFIRA A NOTA DO CONSÓRCIO MARACANÃ:
“O Consórcio Maracanã aceitou o pedido do Nova Iguaçu para a realização da semifinal do Campeonato Carioca no Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho.

continua após a publicidade

A despeito de algumas especulações em sentido contrário, neste caso não houve recusa do Consórcio em nenhum momento, mas sim indefinições por parte dos envolvidos.

A decisão, como sempre, foi pautada em critérios técnicos, considerando a época do ano e o tempo disponível para a recuperação do gramado.

Por fim, vale repudiar o comportamento do Vasco SAF que, tirando proveito da mencionada indefinição momentânea, buscou uma vez mais o caminho da vitimização em um caso em que sequer é o mandante da partida – tudo isso para atacar o Consórcio de forma injustificada, na tentativa de angariar o apoio da opinião pública e manter a fantasiosa narrativa de que estaria sendo prejudicado.

A gestão do Maracanã é feita de forma séria, técnica e transparente, e esse comportamento lamentável do Vasco SAF visa tão somente criar fatos inverídicos para tumultuar o processo licitatório”.

Tudo sobre

FlamengoFluminenseMaracanãVasco